Treatment of Trauma in Families - Essay Example

Question Traumatic stress arises from individuals experiencing situations that are overwhelming, both emotionally and physically. These events usually involve death or serious injury to the individual. The reactions to these events vary depending on individual; they may cause minor disruptions or severe changes to the individual. Traumatic stress often presents itself as Acute Stress Disorder or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Extreme stress, on the other hand, is because of long-term exposure to stress. Every body system is disrupted by this kind of stress raising blood pressure, increasing chances of heart attack among other health risks. Over time, extreme stress rewires the brain, making an individual vulnerable to other mental conditions such as depression and anxiety. Question #2 Comorbidity refers to a medical condition where an individual has more than one disorder in his body. An individual experiences simultaneous conditions. The term, however, is rarely used in the medical field. There are various ways to assess whether an individual is comorbid or not. Physicians usually standardize the “weight” to test whether the patient has secondary or tertiary illnesses. Question #3 Ruptured attachments are the emotional effects of hypersexual behavior or anything that is emotionally involving. Negative emotions such as anger, resentment and shame are some of the causes of attachment ruptures in relationships. The individuals in the relationship find it hard to forgive each other until the source of the rupture is addressed. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is because of experiencing terrifying ordeals where extreme physical harm is a possibility. Most of the time, individuals with PTSD are the ones who have experienced pain, or the harm may have happened to their loved ones. Question #4 Children experience traumatic events in the guise of physical and sexual abuse, disasters and accidents. These events have an emotional impact on the children, which is often overlooked leading to them suffering from PTSD and other psychiatric conditions. Continued exposure to traumatic events in adults usually leads to PTSD as means to cope with the traumatic experience. PTSD in adults may last for decades if not appropriately addressed and treated. Question #5 Unresolved traumatic exposures arise from events, deemed insignificant, but have everlasting effects on an individual. These events change the individual’s perception of the world, and they dictate how they will respond to future events and experiences. Trauma, as stated earlier should be addressed as soon after it has occurred. Failure to do this results in results in feelings about the trauma persisting. Question #6 Traumatic events in an individual’s life contribute to the traumatic exposure. Across all ages, traumatic events are the same. The most common are sexual abuse or assault, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, serious accidents or witnessing violence. These events are difficult to process and adversely affect individuals despite their age. They affect the individual’s judgment and attitudes regarding future situations and interactions. Question #7 The consequences and symptoms brought about by traumatic exposure increases as people age. Veterans, as they get older, start to get more emotional in regards to their war experiences. They look back on their wartime experiences and try to make sense of these experiences. As they age, the veterans experience Late- Onset Stress Symptomatology (LOSS) as the symptoms of PTSD decline with age. Compared with PTSD, LOSS has fewer symptoms that are not as adverse. These symptoms increase the aging process in veterans despite the less severe symptoms. Question #8 Trauma in couples mostly involves sexual and domestic abuse. This form of interpersonal trauma increases tension and dysfunctional behaviors such as social isolation. Feelings of sexual dissatisfaction emerge in couples who have interpersonal trauma. The trauma can be present or had happened in the past in the form of child sexual and physical abuse. High rates of divorce, domestic violence and relationships exhibiting abandonment anxiety are found among couples with traumatic exposure. Question #9 Families that have experienced simultaneous traumas need counseling in order to overcome the trauma. Therapists usually recommend family-centered treatment programs to help the survivors of these types of trauma. Every family member experiencing the trauma should have a support system of other family members. This social system helps individuals cope with simultaneous exposure to traumatic events. Question #10 Traumatic exposure describes events that are painful and distressing at an emotional level. This form of exposure usually overwhelms people’s ability to cope with the traumatic events and other similar events that will occur in the future. PTSD development, on the other hand, is because of exposure to traumatic events. For this reason, PTSD and traumatic exposure are interlinked. PTSD development occurs in situations where an individual experiences the trauma for the first time. The occurrence of PTSD is not definitive; it may or may not occur depending on the occurrence of the trauma. If the trauma is a normal event that occurs frequently, forming their daily experience then PTSD is unlikely to occur. Question #11 Internalized culture is crucial in the detection and treatment of stress related conditions. Through internalized culture, the therapist can accurately assess a patient’s condition in regards to their cultural context. Stress differs across all cultures and for this reason; therapist should have a good grip of what they are dealing with. Through internalized culture, the therapist can recommend the best form of treatment for the stress the patient is experiencing. Question #12 Reactions to captivity are mostly anxiety based. The individual in captivity experiences fear, terror and anxiety. In more severe cases, the captive starts to experience hallucinations, disassociation, and other acuter stress reactions. The reactions become adverse once isolation and death threats are issued to the captives. In some cases, the captives experience the famous Stockholm syndrome after several weeks or months into captivity. Treating individuals who were captives is successful through rehabilitation to re-introduce them into society. Question #13 Psychic assault refers to an attack on the mental state of an individual and can result from both battery or verbal torture and abuse. Question #14 Vulnerable populations include the poor, disabled and the elderly who require the most assistance in case of disasters. Other than aforementioned individuals, anyone who lives in high-risk areas and requires special assistance constitutes as vulnerable population. High-risk areas include states such as Texas, which is occasionally hit by hurricanes, wildfire and other natural disasters. Poverty contributes to increased risk, as low-income residents are the last to be catered for in case of accidents. Question #15 Resilience or psychological resilience, as it is commonly known, refers to the ability of an individual to cope with stress. Stress manifests itself in the form of family problems, health concerns, and economical stressors among others. Every individual has the capability to be resilient in the face of all adversity, and it can be improved through practice. Habits such as positive familial and interpersonal relationships can improve the resilience of an individual. These relationships together with an individual’s ability to plan and communicate can increase their resilience in the face of adversity. Question #16 There are four stages of disaster: preparation, warning, impact and aftermath. Preparation is the most important and often disregarded, stage of disasters. This stage improves the survival preparedness of individuals as it helps individuals in making contingency plans. Second, warning increases the disaster awareness of individuals in high-risk areas. Heeding to warnings increases the chances of survival rate of individuals. Impact and aftermath are where the fore-planning and contingency plans are utilized. Presentation of symptoms refers the complaints patients present to doctors in regards to a disease or disorder. The goal of the medical profession is to assess and diagnose the condition the patient is suffering from and treat the patient accordingly. Question #17 Grief refers to people’s response to loss especially of a loved one. Grief becomes greater if there was a bond between the deceased and the grieving individual. Extreme stress refers to our bodies’ way of responding to events that make individuals feel threatened. In the case of extreme stress, the body is exposed to overwhelming conditions that negatively affect an individual. Traumatic stress is unlike extreme stress because they are brought about by extreme and emotionally overwhelming conditions. This type of stress often results in PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder. Question #18 An intervention refers to an attempt by individuals, usually close relatives and friends, to convince an individual to change their ways. The individual, whom the intervention is intended for, is usually an addict or is suffering from a traumatic event. Despite the intentions of interventions, there are ethical implications presented by interventions. The most common violated ethical practice is confidentiality, which is violated due to the involvement of people. Question #19 Therapy, over time, is seen as the most effective treatment of trauma. Through therapy, patients suffering from extreme trauma are equipped with new coping skills for their trauma symptoms. Relaxation, mindfulness, emotional regulation and psycho education are some of the coping techniques taught to the patients. Question #20 Vicarious traumatization is a condition brought about through empathizing with traumatized patients. Trauma workers are usually the population at risk of vicarious traumatization as they interact with patients. The workers often relate to the situations of their patients and as a result suffer from secondary trauma. The signs of these conditions are similar to those of the patients suffering from the initial trauma. Question #21 Treatment modalities are the methods of treatment that doctors prescribe to their patients. There are several types of treatment modalities that may heal or relieve patients. Medication, psychological therapies, surgery, psychical therapy are some of the treatment modalities prescribed by physicians. Question #22 Treating survivors of abuse, especially children, is delicate and needs the vigilance of therapists treating them. The therapists are tasked with assisting the patients in reporting the perpetrators of the abuse. Question #23 Charting and assessment refer to the means through which physicians monitor their patients’ progress throughout the cause of treatment. In therapy, this involves the assessment of the patient through interaction, experiences and treatment. Read More